Via Infinito:I can see them not accepting EBT to pay for the lottery tickets, but prohibiting welfare recipients from playing at all seems crappy.

It probably doesn't stop them from playing, but prevents them from winning. So when these desperate Welfare recipients buy a lottery ticket and lose, that's just more money in the system. But if they lose? "Sorry, you're on welfare, therefore you are not eligible for this prize". I doubt it would go back into the pool for the next week, though... Maybe their winnings will go to fund some "state project", instead?

MmmmBacon:Via Infinito: I can see them not accepting EBT to pay for the lottery tickets, but prohibiting welfare recipients from playing at all seems crappy.

It probably doesn't stop them from playing, but prevents them from winning. So when these desperate Welfare recipients buy a lottery ticket and lose, that's just more money in the system. But if they lose? "Sorry, you're on welfare, therefore you are not eligible for this prize". I doubt it would go back into the pool for the next week, though... Maybe their winnings will go to fund some "state project", instead?

But that's even crappier, isn't it? Letting them spending that dollar they found under the cushions on a lottery ticket, but not letting them have the prize when they win? I don't think lottery winners should be allowed to STAY on welfare when they win, but making people ineligible for the prize because they've been dealt a seriously shiatty hand at life just seems incredibly mean-spirited. I'm not sure what kind of point they're trying to make here.

Via Infinito:MmmmBacon: Via Infinito: I can see them not accepting EBT to pay for the lottery tickets, but prohibiting welfare recipients from playing at all seems crappy.

It probably doesn't stop them from playing, but prevents them from winning. So when these desperate Welfare recipients buy a lottery ticket and lose, that's just more money in the system. But if they lose? "Sorry, you're on welfare, therefore you are not eligible for this prize". I doubt it would go back into the pool for the next week, though... Maybe their winnings will go to fund some "state project", instead?

But that's even crappier, isn't it? Letting them spending that dollar they found under the cushions on a lottery ticket, but not letting them have the prize when they win? I don't think lottery winners should be allowed to STAY on welfare when they win, but making people ineligible for the prize because they've been dealt a seriously shiatty hand at life just seems incredibly mean-spirited. I'm not sure what kind of point they're trying to make here.

They are saying that the mythic "Welfare Queen" (which doesn't really exist, other than in the minds of the GOP) shouldn't get to spend her ill-gotten stipend on a chance at getting rich like they are. She and her 12 illegitimate children might lower the values of the GOP's mansions, should WQ move into their neighborhood.

It is racism and classism, with a hint of "playing to the zealots in our base".

MmmmBacon:Via Infinito: I can see them not accepting EBT to pay for the lottery tickets, but prohibiting welfare recipients from playing at all seems crappy.

It probably doesn't stop them from playing, but prevents them from winning. So when these desperate Welfare recipients buy a lottery ticket and lose, that's just more money in the system. But if they lose? "Sorry, you're on welfare, therefore you are not eligible for this prize". I doubt it would go back into the pool for the next week, though... Maybe their winnings will go to fund some "state project", instead?

Why not let them win? Just make it so winning a prize over a certain amount requires them to pay a significant percentage of the winnings to the state as reimbursement for the win, up to the total amount of assistance given. For larger prizes that would cause the winner to run afoul of need-based assistance income limits in the short term, they could even reduce future payments according to the remainder of their winnings. In NC, any prize over $600 has to be claimed at the lottery headquarters or by mail ($100k+ prizes claimed only at HQ). They could lower $600 limit to something like $250 to enable enforcement.

MmmmBacon:Via Infinito: MmmmBacon: Via Infinito: I can see them not accepting EBT to pay for the lottery tickets, but prohibiting welfare recipients from playing at all seems crappy.

It probably doesn't stop them from playing, but prevents them from winning. So when these desperate Welfare recipients buy a lottery ticket and lose, that's just more money in the system. But if they lose? "Sorry, you're on welfare, therefore you are not eligible for this prize". I doubt it would go back into the pool for the next week, though... Maybe their winnings will go to fund some "state project", instead?

But that's even crappier, isn't it? Letting them spending that dollar they found under the cushions on a lottery ticket, but not letting them have the prize when they win? I don't think lottery winners should be allowed to STAY on welfare when they win, but making people ineligible for the prize because they've been dealt a seriously shiatty hand at life just seems incredibly mean-spirited. I'm not sure what kind of point they're trying to make here.

They are saying that the mythic "Welfare Queen" (which doesn't really exist, other than in the minds of the GOP) shouldn't get to spend her ill-gotten stipend on a chance at getting rich like they are. She and her 12 illegitimate children might lower the values of the GOP's mansions, should WQ move into their neighborhood.

It is racism and classism, with a hint of "playing to the zealots in our base".

I don't agree with a law like this, but your analysis of the motive seems more mean-spirited than your attributions to the lawmaker suggesting this law.

I don't know what the right answer here is, but I can at least see this guys point: we are giving people tax dollars so that they can live with some modicum of dignity and security; perhaps we shouldn't turn a blind eye when they use that money so irresponsibly.

The recipients of welfare aren't being forced to take the money. As such, it is not unreasonable that the state put a few minor stipulations on how the welfare is used. It won't be used for booze, strippers, and legal prostitution in Nevada. What's wrong with that? It's not a partisan, race or class issue.

Ah, dog-whislting at it's finest. Well, perhaps more along the lines of bullhorn. Are they allowed to have cheap internet to communicate assess the modern job market, or will that be deemed wasteful as well? A refrigerator? Or do those count as items welfare or SNAP recipients could be using to build the first prototype flying car that will lift them from this misery?

Is poor Sally, who received a ton of grants for college despite there being no guarantee of it helping her also have such restrictions imposed? "Just look at her. Just look at her eating that pizza with MY tax dollarstm.Why isn't she eating Ramen for the 42nd time in a row?" Will we hear that? Of course not.

This is old-fashioned grandstanding, designed only to light a fire under some rednceks' asses as they see a true Freedom Fighter Rallying for truth.

dickfreckle: Ah, dog-whislting at it's finest. Well, perhaps more along the lines of bullhorn. Are they allowed to have cheap internet to communicate assess the modern job market, or will that be deemed wasteful as well? A refrigerator? Or do those count as items welfare or SNAP recipients could be using to build the first prototype flying car that will lift them from this misery?

Is poor Sally, who received a ton of grants for college despite there being no guarantee of it helping her also have such restrictions imposed? "Just look at her. Just look at her eating that pizza with MY tax dollarstm.Why isn't she eating Ramen for the 42nd time in a row?" Will we hear that? Of course not.

This is old-fashioned grandstanding, designed only to light a fire under some rednceks' asses as they see a true Freedom Fighter Rallying for truth.

"Oh sh*t, Bubba, ain't we on food stamps?"

You call it "grandstanding", and maybe it is.. I don't know this guy's motives, but I am willing to bet neither do you. Maybe he is looking for solutions to what is, without argument (IMO) a waste of taxpayer dollars. At the very least, assuming he is the hate-mongerer you would have him be, then he is communicating with civility and tact. It's a page you may want to steal from his book.

Lucky LaRue:dickfreckle: Ah, dog-whislting at it's finest. Well, perhaps more along the lines of bullhorn. Are they allowed to have cheap internet to communicate assess the modern job market, or will that be deemed wasteful as well? A refrigerator? Or do those count as items welfare or SNAP recipients could be using to build the first prototype flying car that will lift them from this misery?

Is poor Sally, who received a ton of grants for college despite there being no guarantee of it helping her also have such restrictions imposed? "Just look at her. Just look at her eating that pizza with MY tax dollarstm.Why isn't she eating Ramen for the 42nd time in a row?" Will we hear that? Of course not.

This is old-fashioned grandstanding, designed only to light a fire under some rednceks' asses as they see a true Freedom Fighter Rallying for truth.

"Oh sh*t, Bubba, ain't we on food stamps?"

You call it "grandstanding", and maybe it is.. I don't know this guy's motives, but I am willing to bet neither do you. Maybe he is looking for solutions to what is, without argument (IMO) a waste of taxpayer dollars. At the very least, assuming he is the hate-mongerer you would have him be, then he is communicating with civility and tact. It's a page you may want to steal from his book.

Via Infinito:But that's even crappier, isn't it? Letting them spending that dollar they found under the cushions on a lottery ticket, but not letting them have the prize when they win? I don't think lottery winners should be allowed to STAY on welfare when they win, but making people ineligible for the prize because they've been dealt a seriously shiatty hand at life just seems incredibly mean-spirited. I'm not sure what kind of point they're trying to make here.

If you have been dealt such a bad hand you would be better off saving any found money instead of spending it on frivolity.

Official Press ReleaseRE: North Carolina State LotterySUBJ: We Farked up

Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen. Basically the reason we called this Press conference is to publicly announce how retarded we are. And it's a lot. like, "that ugly dude from the goonies" retarded. Oh, and we're bankrupt. so, if everyone could just leave quickly, i'll uh...snag those lights there...just yeah....ok. bye

dickfreckle:Ah, dog-whislting at it's finest. Well, perhaps more along the lines of bullhorn. Are they allowed to have cheap internet to communicate assess the modern job market, or will that be deemed wasteful as well? A refrigerator? Or do those count as items welfare or SNAP recipients could be using to build the first prototype flying car that will lift them from this misery?

Look, I'm a liberal democrat, but how the fark are those even remotely comparable? This is about the same thing as prohibiting SNAP from being used to buy soda, not keeping people from having access to modern communication networks. Which is something a lot of liberals have been clamoring for, I might add.

A lottery ticket offers exactly no utility. It's not ramen vs a deli sandwich. Buying a lottery ticket is buying a piece of paper not even useful for wiping your ass, and a lot of poor people do buy them in the hopes that they'll strike it rich, and lotteries market to that hope. They make a lot of money marketing to the despair of the poor, and the poor lose a lot of money with misbegotten hope in a system where they're pretty much guaranteed to lose money. Hell, you could even call this consumer protection.

Now, I didn't RTFA, so I can't comment on implementation. Obviously, the devil's in the details, and if they're doing something like taking their money for the ticket but refusing to pay out, that's wrong, and probably illegal. I very much doubt that they'd try something like that though. But the general concept is nowhere near as odious as you're making it out to be.

EvilEgg:You can only do so much to protect people from themselves. Everyone has the right to be mindbogglingly stupid. The state should not both sponsor and moralize against "sins"

Right.So what your saying is that we should protect them from their own mistakes or bad luck by sending the govt checks, but then allow them to spend those checks on idiotic pursuits.

People on the dole should know it.If you are on welfare you should be trying to get off welfare. People on welfare are like the kid who got held back 2 grades in school. That's how other people look at you if you are able-bodied.

MmmmBacon:Via Infinito: MmmmBacon: Via Infinito: I can see them not accepting EBT to pay for the lottery tickets, but prohibiting welfare recipients from playing at all seems crappy.

It probably doesn't stop them from playing, but prevents them from winning. So when these desperate Welfare recipients buy a lottery ticket and lose, that's just more money in the system. But if they lose? "Sorry, you're on welfare, therefore you are not eligible for this prize". I doubt it would go back into the pool for the next week, though... Maybe their winnings will go to fund some "state project", instead?

But that's even crappier, isn't it? Letting them spending that dollar they found under the cushions on a lottery ticket, but not letting them have the prize when they win? I don't think lottery winners should be allowed to STAY on welfare when they win, but making people ineligible for the prize because they've been dealt a seriously shiatty hand at life just seems incredibly mean-spirited. I'm not sure what kind of point they're trying to make here.

They are saying that the mythic "Welfare Queen" (which doesn't really exist, other than in the minds of the GOP) shouldn't get to spend her ill-gotten stipend on a chance at getting rich like they are. She and her 12 illegitimate children might lower the values of the GOP's mansions, should WQ move into their neighborhood.

It is racism and classism, with a hint of "playing to the zealots in our base".

The term "Welfare Queen" comes from Democrats in Chicago not the GOP and calling an able-bodied person with 6 kids on welfare a "welfare queen" isn't racist.

Via Infinito:MmmmBacon: Via Infinito: I can see them not accepting EBT to pay for the lottery tickets, but prohibiting welfare recipients from playing at all seems crappy.

It probably doesn't stop them from playing, but prevents them from winning. So when these desperate Welfare recipients buy a lottery ticket and lose, that's just more money in the system. But if they lose? "Sorry, you're on welfare, therefore you are not eligible for this prize". I doubt it would go back into the pool for the next week, though... Maybe their winnings will go to fund some "state project", instead?

But that's even crappier, isn't it? Letting them spending that dollar they found under the cushions on a lottery ticket, but not letting them have the prize when they win? I don't think lottery winners should be allowed to STAY on welfare when they win, but making people ineligible for the prize because they've been dealt a seriously shiatty hand at life just seems incredibly mean-spirited. I'm not sure what kind of point they're trying to make here.

Being a white male with middle class parents who make enough that I couldn't qualify for food stamps, yet not enough to support me or pay tuition for college, I admit I survived in part due to people on food stamps selling me $20-$50 worth of stamps for $5 or $10 bucks because then they could buy...whatever. It bums me out my role in these people's bad choices and on the other hand, I was able to eat most days and was not involved in crime. I guess this is more of a confession and insight than a witty put down of someone else.